Email to Grandma Mary      

Recipe Categories: Grandma_Mary's HOME PAGEAPPETIZERS BREAD BREAKFAST Brownies CAKE CAKESandPIES CASSEROLES CHILDREN COOKIES DESSERTS EASTER EGGS ETHNIC FISHandSEAFOOD HOLIDAYS MEATS Misc PASTA PIES PIZZA POTATOES POULTRY SALADandDRESSING SAUCES SOUPSandSTEWS VEGETABLES VEGETARIAN

Children's Cupcakes

Baking Bugcakes

With clever slicing and colorful frosting, you can transform basic cupcakes into whimsical birthday treats that will delight any child. These adorable bugs and butterflies have gumdrop heads and licorice antennae— finally, something from the insect world that you don’t have to grab out of a child’s hands before it’s eaten.

Makes 30 cupcakes

1 recipe One-Bowl Chocolate Cake (pour 1/3 cup batter into each cupcake liner; bake only 20 to 25 minutes)
1 recipe Swiss Meringue Buttercream (you might need to make another half recipe if you choose to make elaborately decorated cupcakes)

To construct the cupcakes:

1. Divide frosting into 5 small bowls, and tint each batch a different color with food coloring.

2. Use a serrated knife to evenly cut the domed top off each cooled cupcake. Cut each top in half. Then use a small offset spatula to evenly spread 1 1/2 tablespoons of colored frosting over each flat cupcake top.

3. Position halved cupcake tops on top of frosted cupcakes, pressing gently to affix the wings to the soft frosting. To make bugs, attach tops with the domed side up and points meeting just inside the edge of the cupcake and extending off the opposite side. To create butterflies, attach pieces, cut side up, with rounded edges in the center of the cupcake (the domed shape will create angled wings). Refrigerate until frosting is firm and the wings are secure, about 30 minutes.

4. Prepare gumdrop and licorice heads: Snip licorice strings on a diagonal into 1 1/2-inch lengths. Use a toothpick to make 2 two holes in the top of each gumdrop on opposite sides. Insert the pointed end of one licorice strip into each hole to create antennae. Using extra frosting as adhesive, attach a gumdrop head to each cupcake.

5. Decorate wings as desired with assorted colored frostings: Place frosting in pastry bags fitted with couplers and round tips, and pipe over surface of wings. Alternatively, gently spread frosting with a small offset spatula over the surface of the wings as desired. If you prefer lots of frosting, spread each wing with a base coat of frosting first and pipe out decorations in a different color; minimalists may pipe simple decorations onto the bare black wings.







List of Ingredients









Instructions